Articles by News Desk

The News Desk at Citizen Matters puts out Press Releases, notifications and curated information useful to the urban reader.

Toll for Mumbai Trans Harbour Link set at Rs 250 After much speculation over the amount of toll on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, the state government has finalised the toll amount as Rs 250 per car one way. Earlier it was expected that a one-way journey, which cuts the travel time considerably between Navi Mumbai and south Mumbai, would cost as much as Rs 500. The 22-km long road, will connect Sewri in Mumbai and Chirale in Raigad and will have three exits. The longest sea bridge in India, it will reduce the travel time to 15 to 20…

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For years, the residents of Ennore have grappled with the health and livelihood issues arising out of living in a toxic environment. The recent oil spill in the Manali area of Chennai, the ammonia gas leak on the night of December 26, 2023, and the events that followed have been nothing short of a nightmare. At a recent public hearing organised on January 1 at the Ennore Vyabarigal Sangam Thirumana Mandapam by the Ennore Makkal Paathukaappu Kuzhu (Ennore People’s Protection Committee) — a campaign front bringing together representatives of all 32 villages/localities in the Ennore/Ernavur region — people living in…

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Ennore gas leak: Residents demand closure of factory Residents of Ennore continued their protests against the Coromandel International Limited, after leakage of ammonia gas from the company's pipeline late night on December 26 left many people giddy and gasping for breath, while others fainted. While 52 residents from Periyakuppam, Chinnakuppam and surrounding villages were hospitalised, many have already evacuated from the area because of the strong smell and eye irritation. The fertiliser plant has temporarily downed shutters after a notice for closure was issued by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to suspend operations. However, residents from the affected…

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Mumbai Trans Harbour Link opening on January 12th After being delayed at twice in the past year, the much awaited MTHL is all set to connect Mumbai and Navi Mumbai early next year. It is the longest sea bridge in the country at 21.8 km. It will connect Sewri in south Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai with a total of three exits. Reports said that an invitation had been sent to the Prime Minister and if all goes well, it will be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on January 12th. Considered to be an engineering marvel, the construction costs…

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KSRTC ventures into logistics business Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC)-the state-owned transport utility-is stepping into the logistics sector, sensing a great business opportunity there, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy told Economic Times. The business started on December 10th, and 20 fully-equipped trucks were launched to enhance the non-ticket revenue of the corporation.  The KSRTC also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KMS Coach Builders Pvt. Ltd. for lending its cargo truck services on a rental basis for a period of two months. It has also entered into an agreement with S. M. Kannappa Automobiles (P) Ltd. for a…

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Mask up but no need to worry, say docs  Just as we were gearing up to celebrate Christmas and New Year, a new Covid variant called JN.1, has been reported. As of now Mumbai has the maximum number of cases in the state.  Chief minister Eknath Shinde informed that the decision to form a task force to manage isolation, medication and other requirements in case of increase in the cases, will be taken soon. He emphasised that people should reinforce “Covid Appropriate Behaviour” such as masking up and testing. Maharashtra has not imposed any restrictions as of now.   Doctors…

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Bengaluru sees 30 COVID-19 cases in 2 days The state government has constituted a four-member cabinet sub-committee, headed by state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, to monitor the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. The other three ministers in the panel are Social Welfare Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa, Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil, and Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar. The state reported 24 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to the latest update from the Union Health Ministry. The total number of active cases has risen to 105.  Bengaluru restaurants are…

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In light of the rise in COVID-19 cases, due to the new JN.1 subvariant in Kerala, the Karnataka Health Department issued an advisory on December 19th. In view of upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations, and the expected crowding in closed spaces, the general public has been advised to comply with the following measures in this advisory issued by Randeep D, the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Services: All elderly (60 years and above), co-morbid (particularly with kidney, heart, liver ailments etc.), pregnant women and lactating mothers, when outdoor shall wear face masks, and strictly avoid visiting closed, poorly…

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Ennore oil spill: NGT comes down heavily on government agencies Stating that the oil spill in the Ennore-Manali region in Chennai has adversely impacted the livelihoods of the fishing community, the Tamil Nadu government’s 20-member State of Oil Spill Crisis Management Group (SOS-CMG) directed the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) to undertake mitigation efforts on a war footing. Meanwhile, following the blame game between CPCL and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) over the oil spill in the Ennore-Manali region, the National Green Tribunal came down heavily on the government agencies and the oil company for the delayed response in…

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Speed limits on major roads in fast-paced Mumbai   The Mumbai traffic police have declared speed limits on nine major roads of the city starting December 13th. The police said this was done to “prevent danger, obstruction and inconvenience to the public.” Some of these roads include, P.D Mello Road, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road ( 50 kmph), Haji Ali junction to Mahalaxmi Railway Station, Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road and flyovers including Amar Mahal Flyover and Veer Jijamata Bhosale Flyover.  The police said this measure was initiated to avoid accidents caused by overspeeding.   After the traffic police announced this on X (Twitter), the…

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